Horse Trailer

[chadt1234]

We got my daughter a horse about 9 months ago. Now, of course, she wants to show. I'm trying to find a cheap 2 horse trailer. Needs to be under 3500 lbs. as the wife's Acadia has a 5000 lb tow rating. If any one has one or know someone looking to sell one please let me know.

[chadt1234]

hoping to find something decent for under $2000. Doesn't matter if its old.

[CamoQuest]

Does your daughter have any friends who show, who could possibly help out with horse transport? Please don’t take this the wrong way, but from someone who has hauled 1000’s of miles and even more hours behind the wheel of a truck pulling everything from small single horse trailer to decked out living quarters, you run a safety risk pulling a lightweight trailer with an Acadia. The tow rating doesn’t take into consideration the live weight factor, which is a HUGE consideration. There's a big difference between "can I" and "should I". It's not whether the tow vehicle has enough power to move a trailer...it's the braking power, stability and mass in any kind of emergency, be it a fast stop, swerve, etc. Also, hauling live weight that has the potential to affect the trailer is much different from dead weight that sits in one place and doesn't shift or move around. Think of the horse in a lightweight trailer as a pile of bricks in a plastic shopping bag. Pick it up slow, no harsh moves, and set it down gently and you are good, hopefully. But the second those bricks shift, or you swing the bag, or you drop the bag, and your bag is toast and bricks go everywhere. There are people who pull trailers with SUV’s, and I’ve done it ONCE myself. Never, ever, again. An easy 10 miles to the vet for an emergency, and I was in worse shape that the horse by the time I got there. If you don’t have any other options, add the weight of the horse, tack, and everything else in the trailer and vehicle, and aim for 25% less than the total tow rating. I still wouldn’t want to do it myself, but it’s a starting point from a safety standpoint.

[Texas Tracker]

Does your daughter have any friends who show, who could possibly help out with horse transport? Please don’t take this the wrong way, but from someone who has hauled 1000’s of miles and even more hours behind the wheel of a truck pulling everything from small single horse trailer to decked out living quarters, you run a safety risk pulling a lightweight trailer with an Acadia. The tow rating doesn’t take into consideration the live weight factor, which is a HUGE consideration. There's a big difference between "can I" and "should I". It's not whether the tow vehicle has enough power to move a trailer...it's the braking power, stability and mass in any kind of emergency, be it a fast stop, swerve, etc. Also, hauling live weight that has the potential to affect the trailer is much different from dead weight that sits in one place and doesn't shift or move around. Think of the horse in a lightweight trailer as a pile of bricks in a plastic shopping bag. Pick it up slow, no harsh moves, and set it down gently and you are good, hopefully. But the second those bricks shift, or you swing the bag, or you drop the bag, and your bag is toast and bricks go everywhere. There are people who pull trailers with SUV’s, and I’ve done it ONCE myself. Never, ever, again. An easy 10 miles to the vet for an emergency, and I was in worse shape that the horse by the time I got there. If you don’t have any other options, add the weight of the horse, tack, and everything else in the trailer and vehicle, and aim for 25% less than the total tow rating. I still wouldn’t want to do it myself, but it’s a starting point from a safety standpoint.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[chadt1234]

Thanks for the advice. I had a few people tell me to just get a smaller aluminum trailer and between that and the horse i should be good. Don't plan on towing much. Maybe once a month. The trailer purchase is a lot cheaper than upgrading Momma to a new Expedition.

[Swampa]

Your going to need to pony up for a 1 ton duality immediately. Good luck [emoji106][emoji23]


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[BrandonA]

I also wouldn't think about towing a horse trailer with that little of a car. The risk isn't worth it.

[chadt1234]

Glad I asked on here. Thanks for the help

[friscopaint]

Whatever showing shes interested in, as said before, trainers in that field and other competitors will happily fill an empty trailer stall to help cut their losses. Which of course horses are.

[BrandonA]

Whatever showing shes interested in, as said before, trainers in that field and other competitors will happily fill an empty trailer stall to help cut their losses. Which of course horses are.

Lol true but I look at it Differently. Either can spend money a positive activity or you can spend money on bail, rehab, and attorneys. In our case horses and rodeo is a passion and her dream is to someday compete for a Worlds Championship. She competes at a very high level and usually wins enough to offset entry fees and travel cost. If she decides to hang it up we can sell every horse for way more than what we paid. So it's all good.

[friscopaint]

Every bale of hay or feed sack I see makes me sick....we have 20 or so full and half Arabs

[clay4626]

op great of you getting your daughter a horse. That will keep her busy and let her
have fun. Yes horses are a money pit in some ways but you can't put a price on helping her learn to take care of her horse
I know you are wanting to save money but as others have said don't try to pull a horse trailer with a small car. If you can swing it you would be a lot safer to pull it with a half ton pickup. All it takes is a little mistake with that small car and you are in trouble.